Former Wales coach Mike Ruddock has warned someone will lose an eye sooner or later unless rugby chiefs change the laws around kicking the ball out of rucks.

The warning comes after England star Mike Brown was declared free to face Wales in a potential Six Nations decider at Twickenham on March 12 despite a much-debated incident that left Ireland's Conor Murray bleeding from the corner of an eye on Saturday and needing eight stitches to repair the wound.

Brown kicked Murray repeatedly in an attempt to dislodge the ball from the hands of the prone scrum-half at a breakdown during Grand Slam chasing England's 21-10 victory.

Mike Brown was not cited for the incident with Conor Murray

But Brown wasn't penalised by French referee Romain Poite, who agreed with TMO Shaun Veldsman that the contact with Murray's face was accidental. Tournament organisers have backed that stance.

Former Wales coach Mike Ruddock

While Ruddock, who guided Wales to a Grand Slam in 2005, agreed they were right not to take action against him, he called for the laws governing use of the foot at rucks to be rewritten.

"The way the game is going with players kicking out for the ball at the breakdown I fear it won't be too long before a player loses an eye in a Test match," he warned.

Ruddock cited the cases of Gavin Quinnell, the brother of former Wales forwards Scott and Craig Quinnell, and former Ireland Under-20 outside-half Ian McKinley.

Lock Quinnell lost the sight of an eye when he was trod on at a ruck during a match between Llanelli and Cross Keys.

McKinley, who was expected to challenge Jonathan Sexton and Ian Madigan for the Ireland No.10 jersey, lost the sight of his left eye in similar circumstances.

"As the law stands, Brown didn't do anything wrong but what is happening more and more under the guise of a rucking contest is that players are entering them illegally from the side, as I contend he did, and swinging at the ball with the outside of a foot," said Ruddock.

Ruddock's concerns

"What concerns me is that often there is a player over the ball, as there was in this case, and the rucker is unable to see where their foot is going as they swing in the direction of where they believe it is.

"I feel this type of thing should be looked at by union chiefs and outlawed. I can remember an incident during our Grand Slam of 2005, when England lock Danny Grewcock stepped over the top of a ruck and caught our scrum-half Dwayne Peel on the top of the head.

"Gareth Thomas took umbrage with it. Grewcock was yellow-carded and Gareth joined him in the sin bin for his retaliation.

"When proper rucking, like that made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks was allowed, they didn't kick their feet forward, they drove over the ball and won the space so they could then see exactly where their feet were and push opponents out of it with a backwards motion.

"If rucking is to be allowed, we should go back to that because what Brown did was, although legal, dangerous as regards player safety and a duty of care."

Joe Schmidt also calls for change

Like Ruddock, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt believes World Rugby needs to examine the growing number of similar incidents with a view to payer safety.

"They have people who look at those things and I have never, ever tried to influence that," said Schmidt.

"The one thing that I did identify is it is something that appears to be a strategy because there is a lot of kicking the ball out of the ruck.

"It's probably something that even the lawmakers or the officials have to have a bit of a look at regarding player safety, particularly with the head and particularly the eyes, as it was in this incident."

England head coach Eddie Jones

England head coach Eddie Jones was typically combative when asked for his view on Brown's attempts to kick the ball free.

"The referee adjudicated on it. It was fair. If the ball is on the ground then you are allowed to kick it, aren't you?," Jones said.

England are a point ahead at the top of the Six Nations table but Wales will win the fourth European title of Gatland's eight-year reign if they repeat last year's winning World Cup heroics against the Red Rose and beat Italy on the final weekend.